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Wednesday, January 8, 2014

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: First Trimester Must-Haves

I am NO expert on pregnancy; Ha, not even close! But I did learn a few things that worked for me, personally, during my first trimester that were my favorites not just on Wednesdays, but everyday…..all day lol. I wanted to share these things with y’all, and to document them for myself in case I need a reminder the next time around :-)

1- Water, duh!- I think everyone probably knows that pregnant women are supposed to drink a lot of water; this is not ground breaking at all, and I’m no genius :-p However, I will say that to help me drink water I found ways to make it entertaining for my taste buds (really they’re called taste receptor cells, but that is just the neuroscientist in me). I added slices of lemon, orange, lime, or cucumber to keep my water refreshing and entertaining. I just made a pitcher and put it in the fridge and kept refilling my glass or water bottle when it ran out.2- Bert’s Bee Mama Bee Belly Butter- You know, I’m on the genetics side; I really think the largest contributor to stretch marks are our genes for various reasons. However, I’m an eternal optimist and it has been my hope to do whatever I can to keep my skin hydrated, and if it minimizes stretch marks then so be it. I like this body butter because it’s extremely hydrating and safe to use during pregnancy.3- Books- There are a bazillion books to read while you’re pregnant, and everyone comes out of the wood-work with their opinion and advice as soon as you announce that you’re expecting. Most of the time all of the opinions and advice are well-meaning but often it comes off as offensive, unfiltered, or pushy. I really don’t let this get to me because I know everyone’s intentions are generally good and they just want to help; so I say this to state that there is no shortage of “how-tos” or “you should…” or “I did this…” Since I already have plenty of these resources I didn’t pick any of those books to read. Instead I read The Hot Mom-To-Be Handbook by Jessica Denay. This book is NOT about style or being a hottie or anything like that. It’s about the changing pregnant body & mind and how to be confident and comfortable with all of those changes. My favorite book was, and continues to be, Your Pregnancy Devotional: 280 Days of Prayer And Inspiration by Pamela Fierro. Each day I have a verse of scripture and devotional to pray over my baby; it’s so wonderful to start each morning, me and Little Peep, together with the Lord. It is my favorite part of every day.4- Belly bands- There are a ton of different kinds of these belly bands, and I got mine on sale from Groupdealz (2 for $10). I don’t think anyone noticed my bump growing, with the exception of me and my pants. This was an easy way for me to keep my pants up, while they were unbuttoned for comfort. This also helped me to put-off buying maternity pants.5- Pillow & blanket- I did a lot of camping out in the living room, either because I was having trouble sleeping or I was falling asleep at all hours of the day. So I liked having comfortable back-up bed accessories in the living room.6- Prenatal vitamins- Well this is just a fact, you gotta take these bad boys, especially if you want to prevent neural tube defects (i.e. spina bifida & anencephaly). I have been taking these vitamins for a few years now (since we decided to start trying to grow our family), once a day at dinner, and I’ve never once had a problem. They meet all of the suggested levels of each element, are over-the-counter, and extremely affordable (I purchase them in bulk from Costco).7- Saltines – I kept a little baggie of saltines everywhere (i.e. my desk, purse, home, nightstand) because I never knew when a wave of nausea would wash over me and send me hurling. This little stash saved me on multiple occasions (especially during meetings at work, yuck!).8- Sweat pants- To be honest, I don’t own a pair of sweat pants! Shocker!!!! I was so fatigued during the first trimester, that sitting around in my regular clothes just made me extra uncomfortable, so I was gifted stole a pair of sweat pants from the Mr. and it pretty much changed my world (I really hope he doesn’t expect to get those back lol). Whatever you wear, make sure that you’re lounging around in something comfortable. 9- Ginger Ale- When my tummy was rocky & nauseous, a little ginger ale helped to settle my tummy. I liked Canada Dry because it was caffeine free (not that I’m anti-caffeine during pregnancy because research says a cup a day is fine, but since I probably had coffee that day already, I didn’t want to over do-it).10- Journal- With everything going on at work, the house, and the new baby, I didn’t want to forget a single thing. I don’t have a great memory to start off with so I have been journaling everything about this baby. I wanted to be able to refer back to the details of this time in our lives without the fear of forgetting something. So I’ve written everything down, every symptom, doctors appointment, heart rate, dream fear, anxiety, prayer, and wish for this new member of our family.11- Apps- Ya know, there is an app for everything these days. The Bump and Baby Center apps have been my go-tos. I like The Bump app because it has a nice checklist, videos, and tips for every day. It also sends me an update once a week on what the baby is doing developmentally. I like the Baby Center app because, quite frankly, it tells me what day of gestation I am, and this helps me keep up with my prayer devotional (see number 3) hehe. But I also like that each day there is a different little paragraph for the mama and what she may be going through physically, emotionally, relationally, professionally, etc. So The Bump app is really more-so about the baby, while the Baby Center app is more about the mama.

I hope these tips help you if you're struggling through your first, first trimester like I was!

Haha! I love this. I sadly don't own sweatpants either. I didn't have the apps when I was pregnant with Bird, but the weekly emails from BabyCenter I got - I LOVED! Especially in the beginning, when you don't feel or look pregnant. I always wanted to know what was going on! Happy Humpday to you and your boys!